Alright, so after watching a youtube video of a guy bedding his Remmy action it got me thinking about some problems I was having out my one of my rifles.

The rifle in question is a model 700, chambered in the 204. Came with a black synthetic stock. When the rifle was purchased by my father as a gift, he stuck a BSA 24x scope on it with a nice set of rings and gave me the rifle for christmas one year.

Well after I shot it I quickly changed the BSA scope to a Mueller Eradicator 25x with target dot. This is still the configuration it sits in today as I write this thread.

Well right before coming here to Korea, I was home and me and a couple friends went to the range just to have some fun and shoot some rifles. I noticed while shooting my 204 the groups started getting bigger than normal. When the rifle was newer I could accuratly shoot the rifle out too 300 yrds and hit the majority of what I want with factory ammo. But on the day it started acting weird the groups started out sub MOA, about 20 rds later the groups had moved to about 1". And this was with all shooter's shooting the rifle. All of shot earlier in the day with the sub MOA results.

SO I took the rifle home and checked the scope mounts. Checked the actions bolts, anything I could think of that would cause the groups to grow. So my attention turned to the scope itself, I removed it and mounted it on another rifle. My Marlin 30-30, bore sighted it and shot a 3 shot group. holes were all touching. Ok, not the scope!

So after nearly tearing my hair out for 3 days I finally figure out my action is moving inside the stock... SO I just put it all back together and sat it inside the safe to fix when I return home.

I got 2 options here...Either I can bed the rifle in the current stock. Or buy a new stock, and bed the rifle in it.

Im about positive im just going to go with a laminated thumbhole wood stock of some form, have the barrel free floated in it and bed the action and call it a day.

Now my question is, how hard is it to actually bed a rifle properly? Im kinda impatient sometimes, but im also a perfectionist. Would I be better off having a Smith do all the work at once?

Also suggestions on a nice thumbhole laminated stock? Not looking to break the bank here, this rifle is just used to eradicate pests around the farm. usually within 300 yrds...

Here are some photos of the rifle when it was new.

48 pages on the topic:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...&forum_scope=9411043

Whether the stock is the problem or not, get rid of it would be my first suggestion. The rifle started out shooting sub MOA and then after about 20 rounds it went to shooting 1 MOA groups. Barrel fouling can cause the problem. Not allowing sufficient cool down time between groups can cause the problem. An uneven build up of fouling at the crown can do it. There are many things that can cause a group to grow. But if replacing the stock is an option, then I would suggest doing that pronto!

I really like this stock as well, Just wish it fit my rifle so I could take advantage of the deal.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Aucti....aspx?Item=186801560

quote:

Originally posted by Westpac:
Whether the stock is the problem or not, get rid of it would be my first suggestion. The rifle started out shooting sub MOA and then after about 20 rounds it went to shooting 1 MOA groups. Barrel fouling can cause the problem. Not allowing sufficient cool down time between groups can cause the problem. An uneven build up of fouling at the crown can do it. There are many things that can cause a group to grow. But if replacing the stock is an option, then I would suggest doing that pronto!

I guess I should have clarifies more when describing the problem.

The rifle has been shot quite a bit. Just the day in question, it went from sub MOA to just over 1" within 20 shots. After another 2 days of shooting it stayed well over 1" and never would grouper to the tight sub MOA grouping it shot out of the box from Remington.

A few pics to show how it is done right..



[ur[IMG]http:/
/i189.photobucket.com/albums/z306/meyerdw/th_SNC00013.jpg[/IMG][/url]

Boss Hoss, is that the aluminum block of a H-S stock you milling out there?

I didnt know people would actually do that? I was always under the impression that aluminum bedding block was top notch if you want an accurate shooting rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by Brando:
Boss Hoss, is that the aluminum block of a H-S stock you milling out there?

I didnt know people would actually do that? I was always under the impression that aluminum bedding block was top notch if you want an accurate shooting rifle.

That is my Smith who fits everything to absolute perfection. I build my sporters just like my competition rifles. This one is a 300 Jarrett.

I catch a lot of grief here by people who do not know any different but this is the way it "should" be done. The rest of the rifle is put together the same way.

Making room for the H&S Detachable box mag as well.

Boss's action has a large flat area, looks like a Winchester Model 70?

Yes, even with the aluminum bedding block it is necessary to bed the actions of rifles with a large flat area.

quote:

Originally posted by Boss Hoss:
A few pics to show how it is done right..

by "right" he means PII

bed the thing, there's a ton of resources on the matter

I don't think I've ever seen bedding be good, then go bad. I like to look at all the cheap & easy stuff first.

One thing to try would be a different scope. Not dissing the BSA, though it would be easy to do. I've found a few new Leupolds to be bad (the owners didn't think it was possible). If you have another rifle that shoots well, try that scope. And while the scope is off, check the base screws.

Also, flexy hollow plastic stocks are VERY sensitive to where you locate the front bag. Way back towards the front action screw causes the least amount of flexing. And don't forget wind flags on the range. A slight breeze will play hell with those little bullets.

Rifle doesnt have a BSA on it anymore, it has a Mueller Eradicator. Which I already put on another rifle and shot a 3 shot group that was touching holes. So I know its the plastic stock...

Im looking at these stocks, going to proably go ahead and buy one. Then have a smith bed the action into it and make sure the barrel is properly free floated. I wish it was of those new laminated stock with the aluminum bedding block. But this will do fine for now.

http://www.stockysstocks.com/s...Range-Sporter/Detail

How often do you clean the barrel (powder and copper fouling) and how long between groups do you let it cool. Was it the same ammo, lot #, etc. that you were shooting. There are lots of things that need to be checked before coming to the conclusion that it needs to be bedded. While bedding the action most likely will help to clean up the groups if the barrel is fouled with copper bad it wouldn't make a difference what stock it is in or how it is bedded. I don't have any experience with the 204 but I'd be willing to bet that that little barn burner fouls the barrel pretty quick.

quote:

Originally posted by Antelope Sniper:
Boss's action has a large flat area, looks like a Winchester Model 70?

Yes, even with the aluminum bedding block it is necessary to bed the actions of rifles with a large flat area.

This was for a Stiller Predator.

quote:

Originally posted by thndrchiken:
How often do you clean the barrel (powder and copper fouling) and how long between groups do you let it cool. Was it the same ammo, lot #, etc. that you were shooting. There are lots of things that need to be checked before coming to the conclusion that it needs to be bedded. While bedding the action most likely will help to clean up the groups if the barrel is fouled with copper bad it wouldn't make a difference what stock it is in or how it is bedded. I don't have any experience with the 204 but I'd be willing to bet that that little barn burner fouls the barrel pretty quick.

I go through great lengths to clean my rifles after every range trip. Cooling time between 3 and 5 shot groups was a minimum of 20 minutes in late November WV weather. THe avg. temp was right around the low to mid 40's.

I know for a fact its the stock, I can bolt the barreled action into the stock tight. Then grab the top of the action and move it inside the stock. Not much, but there is room in there for it to wiggle. ENough to drive my groups off what I was seeing on the paper.

Once this factory Remington barrel is burned up, I will be keeping this rifle the same caliber. Just re barreling it with a premimum heavy barrel and then really reach out and touch some small critters.

a boyds dropin stock is 100 bucks, delivered .. in lam .. that's the other end of the stiff and heavy spectrum

working on the "easy things first" system - why not re-bed the action in the stock you have first?

Then at least you will have positively confirmed if it is the bedding or lack of it , and if you fix the problem you will have saved yourself a bunch of cash .

quote:

Now my question is, how hard is it to actually bed a rifle properly? Im kinda impatient sometimes, but im also a perfectionist.

Well, if you're good with hand tools and generally mechanically inclined I'd say that you'll have no problems doing it yourself. If you're also a perfectionist it may come out better than from a smith who will not have lots of time to spend on every detail. Score High makes a pretty good kit and there's lots of info out there for the DIY.

The plan has always been to upgrade to a thumbhole of some form. I just never had a reason to mess with the rifle till now.

Boyds has some very appealing prices, I think I may be placing a order for me a pepper thumbhole already finished. Thanks for the reminder Jeffeoso, your chalked full of good information.

I've done a couple.

These are the instructions I have used:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...ding_A_Remington_700

To get perfection takes practice. On Remingtons I cover the front, bottom and sides of the recoil lug with 2 layers of black tape. Generally pillar bed them as well if the stock is wood before the action is glassed. Lots of tidbits you learn as you go. Like putting a few wraps of masking tape around the barrel where it meets the end of the forearm to help center it in the stock.
Use modeling clay to fill in holes on the action and places on the stock where you don't want the bedding material to flow into. I also remove the trigger "just in case".

Keep the factory stock and do your first bedding job. Learn from your mistakes and proceed to your next stock. It gets a little easier each time and the results get better. The "secret is simply attention to details.

Scrap the tupperware! Had the same problem, went to a Boyd's laminate... Problem solved.

Stepchild

I have bedded a few rifles and I can tell you that it is not hard to do properly. Brownell's has several good kits from which to choose. The most important part is preparation to prevent the epoxy from going where is should not go. Use plenty of tape and clay. On the R700, the bolt release lever needs a channel on the left side of the receiver to move freely. I always get a little epoxy in that channel, so be prepared to do a little clean up with a dremel. I can send you pics of the problem areas so you know what to expect. Pillars make a huge difference in the finished job, they are definitely worth the effort. I did my bedding in 2 steps, Pillars, then bedding. Some guys do it in one step. With epoxy, it does not matter, the end result is the same. The key is to not tighten any screws during the process. The purpose of the bedding is to create a perfect fit with no stress. Tightening the screws will stress the action and cause the bedding to not be a perfect fit.